Elevator bracket for outboard motor

ABSTRACT

An elevator bracket adapted to be mounted upon the transom of a boat for lifting and tilting an outboard motor, including an upright guide member attached to the transom, a column reciprocably carried in the guide member and supporting a motor mounting head, a lift arm having its forward end journaled in the mounting head and extending rearward in engagement beneath a portion of the motor, a fluid-powered cylinder connected to the guide member, the reciprocable piston rod being pivotally connected to the rear portion of the lift arm, and stop guide means, so that actuation of the cylinder initially will lift the column, mounting head, lift arm and motor, without tilting the motor, until the stop means limits the upward movement of the column, and subsequently will swing the lift arm about its hinge connection to tilt the motor forward.

United States Patent [1 1 Adams et a1.

[451 May 7,1974

[ ELEVATOR BRACKET FOR OUTBOARD MOTOR [76] Inventors: Crawford W. Adams, 963 Overton Lea Rd., Nashville, Tenn. 37220; David T. Holt, deceased, late of Rt. 3, Goodlettsville, Tenn. 37072 by I Myrtle Holt, executrix [22] Filed: Jan. 8, 1973 '[21] Appl. No.1 321,700

[52] U.S. Cl. 248/4, 115/17 [51] Int. Cl. B63h-21/26, Fl6m 1/02 [58] Field of Search 248/4, 287, 279; 115/17, 115/41 R, 41 HT [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,638,863 5/1953 Kiebler et a1. 248/4 X 2,928,631 3/1960 Hartman 248/4 3,145,003 8/1964 Hart 248/4 3,242,899 3/1966 Hanson.. 248/4 X 3,421,723 l/l969 Holt 248/4 3,486,724 12/1969 Adamski 248/284 X 3,683,841 6/1970 Krautkremer 115/41 R Primary ExaminerJ. Franklin Foss Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Harrington A. Lackey [5 7 ABSTRACT An elevator bracket adapted to be mounted upon the transom of a boat for lifting and tilting an outboard motor, including an upright guide member attached to the transom, a column reciprocably carried in the guide member and supporting a motor mounting head, a lift arm having its forward end journaled in the mounting head and extending rearward in engagement beneath a portion of the motor, a fluid-powered cylinder connected to the guide member, the reciprocable piston rod being pivotally connected to the rear portion of the lift arm, and stop guide means, so that actuation of the cylinder initially will lift the column, mounting head, lift arm and motor, without tilting the motor, until the stop means limits the upward movement of the column, and subsequently will swing the liftarm about its hinge connection to tilt the motor forward.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an elevator bracket for an outboard motor, and more particularly to a bracket supporting the outboard motor for elevation and tilting.

Means for mounting outboard motors upon the transoms of boats with means for adjusting the vertical position of the motor relative to the transom are known in the art, including U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,723 of one of the co-inventors, David T. Holt, issued Jan. 14, 1969. However, the previous Holt patent is limited to the rectilinear reciprocal movement of the motor relative to the transom, without providing any power means for tilting the motor relative to the transom.

In the prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,724 of Adamski, issued Dec. 30, 1969, a compound linkage for elevating and pivoting the outboard motor is disclosed.

In the prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,841 issued to Krautkremer, on Aug. 15, 1972, one drive means in the form of a first hydraulic cylinder is provided for raising and lowering a steerable propeller, while another separate drive means in the form of a second hydraulic cylinder SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an elevator bracket for mounting an outboard motor on the transom of a boat employing a single fluid motor, or hydraulic cylinder, and a simple-linkage for sequentially moving the motor linearly for elevating the motor and subsequently pivotally for tilting the propeller out of the water.

The elevator bracket made in accordance with this invention includes a guide member in the form of an upright sleeve mounted on the exterior surface of the transom, which supports coaxially for telescoping movement a column constituting the depending portion of a T-shaped elevator frame, the top portion of which constitutes a mounting head for supporting the outboard motor,

Preferably a pair of the guide sleeves and elevator frames are employed in spaced-apart relation across the rear face of the transom. A hinge bar is fixed to the front portions of the mounting heads for hingedly supporting the front end of a rearwardly extending lift arm. Pivotally mounted to a cross bar spanning the bottom portions of the guide sleeves is a fluid motor cylinder reciprocably supporting a piston rod, the upper end of which is pivotally journaled to the rear portion of the lift arm. The lift arm extends beneath and in engagement with a portion of the motor supported upon the mounting head. Preferably, an elongated slot is formed along and transversely through the lift arm for receiving a pivot pin connected to the upper end of the piston rod. Stop means are provided to limit the upward movement of the columns relative to the guide sleeves.

Thus, when the sleeves are fixed to the rear face of a transom in upright position, and the motor is securely mounted upon the mounting head, with the lift arm in engagement therebeneath, actuation of the fluid motor forces upward the piston rod, lift arm, elevator frame and the motor. Because the center of gravity of the heavy motor is behind the piston rod, the movement of the lift arm is limited to upward rectilinear motion, without any pivotal motion. However, after the stop means limits the upward movement of the elevator frame, continued upward travel of the piston rod swings the lift arm upward and forward to tilt the motor forward thereby swinging the propeller rearward out of the water.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a rear elevation of the elevator bracket made in accordance with this invention supporting an outboard motor, disclosed in phantom, upon a boat transom, disclosed fragmentarily;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, disclosing the motor at its upper elevated position; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, disclosing the motor in its elevated tilted position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in more detail, the elevator bracket 10, made in accordance with this invention, is designed to mount a conventional outboard motor 11 upon the transom 12 of a boat 13 floating in the water 14. The outboard motor 11 includes the engine l5, stem 16, propeller 1 7, and mounting portion 18.

The bracket 10 includes a pair of outboard tubular guide members or sleeves 21 and 22, fixed parallel to each other in upright disposition against the rear surface of the transom 12 by attachment plates 23 and 24.

Slidably mounted in the tubular guide members 21 and 22 are corresponding elongated columns 25 and 26 forming the depending portions of T-shaped elevator frames, the top portions of which constitute motor mounting heads 28 and 27, respectively. Each of the mounting heads 28 and 27 are elongated and project fore-and-aft of their respective depending columns 25 and 26. r

. Formed through the opposing faces of the guide sleeves 21 and 22 are elongated slots 30 having closed upper and lower ends. Fixed to the inner face of each column 25 and 26, and projecting inward through the respective slots 30 are stop members or slide bars 32. When the slide bars 32 engage the upper ends of the corresponding slots 30, the columns 25 and 26 have reached their maximum height relative to the guide members 21 and 22.

As disclosed in the drawings, the slide bars 32 also function to support conventional side brackets 33 having spaced apertures 34 for receiving in adjusted positions, the tilt pins 35, which engage the forward portion of the stem 16 to determine the normal tilt of the motor 11.

The rear portions of the T-shaped mounting heads 27 and 28 are provided with laterally projecting studs 37 for connection to the conventional shock absorbers or dash-pots 38 connected to the motor stem 16.

The guide members 21 and 22 are held in spaced apart relation by the upper hinge bar 40 extending transversely and fixed to the forward portions of the mounting heads 27 and 28, and by the lower cross bar 41 fixed to the lower portions of the tubular sleeves 21 and 22.

Journaled to the hinge bar 40 by a tubular collar 42 is an elongated lift arm 43, adapted to extend rearwardly and engage beneath the mounting portion 18 of the motor 11. The lift arm 43 is preferably provided with an elongated slot 44 extending longitudinally and transversely through the rear portion of the lift arm 43.

Pivotally connected to the cross bar 41 by a journal coupling 46 is a fluid motor in the form of a hydraulic cylinder 45. Cooperating with the hydraulic cylinder 45 is the reciprocal piston rod 47. A pivotal connecting pin 48 extends through the top portion of the piston rod 47 and is slidably received within the elongated slot 44 of the lift arm 43. v

The hydraulic cylinder 45 is a double-acting cylinder and is connected by fluid lines 50 and 51 to a source of fluid under pressure, such as the hydraulic pump and motor unit 52 mounted in the boat 13, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

In the operation of the invention, the elevator bracket is mounted on the transom 12, by securing the attachment plates 23 and 24 to the rear face of the transom 12 by appropriate fasteners, such as screws or bolts 54.

The motor 11 is mounted upon the bracket 10 by placing the mounting portion 18 upon the top surfaces of the mounting heads 27 and 28, and also journaling the front portion of the mounting portion 18 upon the hinge bar 40. The mounting portion 18 also rests upon the lift arm 43.

' Normally, the elevator bracket '10 is in its lowermost or retracted position, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, supporting the motor 1 1 so that the propeller 17 is well beneath the surface of the water 14, to propel the boat 13 through the water 14.

When it is desired. to elevate the motor 11 for any reason, such as when the boat 13 is traveling over shoals or through shallow water, controls, not shown, are actuated to operate the hydraulic pump 52 to cause the hydraulic cylinder 45 to raise the piston rod 47. As the piston rod 47 moves upward, it also thrusts upward the lift arm 43, without pivoting the lift arm 43, as well as the elevator frames 25 28 and 26 27, carrying the motor 11 to the extreme elevated position of the mounting heads 27 and 28, illustrated in FIG. 3, limited by engagement of the slide bars 32 with the upper ends of the slots 30. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the propeller 17 is still beneath the water 14, but substantially on a level with the bottom of the boat 13.

In the event that it isdesired to lift the propeller 17 out of the water, the motor 11 may be tilted forward to the position illustrated in FIG. 4, by continuing to raise the piston rod 47. However, the columns 25 and 26, after reaching their maximum elevated position disclosed in FIG. 3 cannot go farther because of the limit of travel of the slide bars 22 upward in the slots 30. Accordingly, the lift arm 43 begins to swing upward about the hinge rod 40, and in so doing, the pivotal connecting pin 48 slides rearward in the slot 44 in order to lift the propeller l7 farther outpf the water before the cylinder 45 binds against the transom 12. The rearward sliding pin 48 also obtains better leverage on the lift arm 43 and reduces the moment arm between the piston rod 47 and the center of gravity of the motor 11.

By merely reversing the above procedure, reverse I movement of the motor 11 in the reverse sequence will be attained. By reversing the direction of fluid through the lines 50 and 51, the motor 11 is tilted from its position in FIG. 4 to its position in FIG. 3, and continued operation of the hydraulic cylinder 45 will permit the motor 11 to be lowered from its elevated position in FIG. 3 to its lowermost operative position in FIGS. 1 and 2.

What is claimed is:

1. An elevator bracket for an outboard motor comprising:

a. a guide member having a longitudinal axis,

b. means for securing said guide member to the transom of a boat so that the longitudinal axis is upright in operative position,

c. an elevator frame having a motor mounting head adapted to support an outboard motor, and an elongated column depending from said head,

d. said column being received coaxially in said guide member for longitudinal reciprocal movement,

e. stop means for limiting the upward longitudinal movement of said column relative to said guide means,

f. hinge means adapted to be operatively connected to the front portion of an outboard motor for swinging movement of said outboard motor about a pivotal axis transverse to said longitudinal axis and substantially parallel to the transom,

g. fluid power means adapted to be operatively connected to a portion of said outboard motor behind said pivotal axis and operative to raise said motor and said elevator frame longitudinally until further upward movement is limited by said stop means, said fluid power means being further operative to swing said motor about said hinge means relative to said elevator frame to tilt said motor about said transverse axis. a

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said fluid power means comprises a fluid cylinder con nected to said guide means and a cooperative piston rod, and connecting means on said piston rod for operative connection to said motor behind said pivotal axis.

3. The invention according to claim 2 further com cylinder is pivotally connected to said guide means, an

elongated slot extending longitudinally of said lift arm and transversely through said lift arm, said piston rod connecting means comprising a pin connected to said piston rod and extending through and in slidable engagement with said slot.

5. The invention according to claim 1 in which said hinge means is connected to said mounting head forward of said longitudinal axis.

6. The invention according to claim 2 in which said fluid cylinder and piston rod are mounted substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis. I

7. The invention according to claim 3 in which said guide means comprises a pair of upright guide sleeves adapted to be mounted parallel to and on the rear face 8. The invention according to claim 1 in which said stop means is cooperative between said column and said guide means.

9. The invention according to claim 8 in which said stop means comprises an elongated slot in said guide means parallel to said longitudinal axis, and a stop member fixed to said column and longitudinally movable in said slot. 

1. An elevator bracket for an outboard motor comprising: a. a guide member having a longitudinal axis, b. means for securing said guide member to the transom of a boat so that the longitudinal axis is upright in operative position, c. an elevator frame having a motor mounting head adapted to support an outboard motor, and an elongated column depending from said head, d. said column being received coaxially in said guide member for longitudinal reciprocal moveMent, e. stop means for limiting the upward longitudinal movement of said column relative to said guide means, f. hinge means adapted to be operatively connected to the front portion of an outboard motor for swinging movement of said outboard motor about a pivotal axis transverse to said longitudinal axis and substantially parallel to the transom, g. fluid power means adapted to be operatively connected to a portion of said outboard motor behind said pivotal axis and operative to raise said motor and said elevator frame longitudinally until further upward movement is limited by said stop means, said fluid power means being further operative to swing said motor about said hinge means relative to said elevator frame to tilt said motor about said transverse axis.
 2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said fluid power means comprises a fluid cylinder connected to said guide means and a cooperative piston rod, and connecting means on said piston rod for operative connection to said motor behind said pivotal axis.
 3. The invention according to claim 2 further comprising a lift arm having a front end and a rear end and adapted to engage beneath a portion of the outboard motor, said hinge means connecting said front end of said lift arm to said elevator frame, said piston rod connecting means being connected to said lift arm behind said hinge means.
 4. The invention according to claim 3 in which said cylinder is pivotally connected to said guide means, an elongated slot extending longitudinally of said lift arm and transversely through said lift arm, said piston rod connecting means comprising a pin connected to said piston rod and extending through and in slidable engagement with said slot.
 5. The invention according to claim 1 in which said hinge means is connected to said mounting head forward of said longitudinal axis.
 6. The invention according to claim 2 in which said fluid cylinder and piston rod are mounted substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis.
 7. The invention according to claim 3 in which said guide means comprises a pair of upright guide sleeves adapted to be mounted parallel to and on the rear face of a boat transom, said fluid cylinder being mounted between said guide sleeves, said column comprising first and second columns, each column being telescopingly received in a separate guide sleeve, said hinge means comprising a transverse hinge bar spanning said columns and fixed to said mounting head, and further comprising journal means for supporting the front end of said lift arm on said hinge bar between said columns.
 8. The invention according to claim 1 in which said stop means is cooperative between said column and said guide means.
 9. The invention according to claim 8 in which said stop means comprises an elongated slot in said guide means parallel to said longitudinal axis, and a stop member fixed to said column and longitudinally movable in said slot. 